Penn State football’s 2024 season is in the books. After an 11-1 regular season record, the Nittany Lions lost to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship and narrowly fell 27-24 against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The season should be viewed as a success for the program, but what about each position group?
Multiple Nittany Lions, such as quarterback Drew Allar and safety Jaylen Reed, took significant developmental steps. While Reed and superstar defensive end Abdul Carter will be NFL Draft selectees in April, the defense and offensive line, in particular, showed promising signs for next season with strong depth. Here’s how the season went for every position.
Allar took a significant step forward. After posting 2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 59.9% completion rate in 2023, he threw for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns, eight picks, and had a 66.5% completion rate in 2024. His confidence soared, as did his skills as a vocal leader in the locker room.
There’s a reason scouts and executives around the NFL are rumored to be higher on Allar than many fans. The guy is a talented and efficient player. He had the worst game of his career at the worst time against Notre Dame, but he should be back and better next season with another year under his belt.
Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen found tremendous success this season. While they each had rough patches, Allen finished with 1,108 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while Singleton had 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The duo was involved in the receiving game under first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, as Singleton had 375 yards and five touchdowns and Allen had 153 yards and two scores. Their performances in the playoffs introduced heightened national attention, and the Nittany Lions should be just as dangerous on the ground if they both return next season.
Both players’ skill sets and versatility complemented each other and the offense. Allen is a physical, violent player, while Singleton is an explosive back who also packs a punch. Franklin labeled the duo the best in the country at the position, and it’s hard to disagree with him.
Penn State’s wide receivers did not produce enough this season. Trey Wallace led the group with 720 yards, while Omari Evans had 415 yards, Liam Clifford had 286, and Julian Fleming had 176. They combined for 11 touchdowns.
The wide receivers struggled to stay consistent. After a 117-yard opener against West Virginia, Wallace did not have more than 50 yards until the USC game over a month later. Evans had five games without a catch, including three in a row. Clifford had more than 50 yards in a game only twice and Fleming never made much of an impact, except for two clutch catches against the Trojans.
All of this came to a head against Notre Dame, when not a single wide receiver had a catch.
Tyler Warren had not only one of the most prolific seasons in Penn State history but in all of college football. He won the Mackey Award, awarded to the nation’s best tight end, finished seventh in voting for the Heisman Trophy, and broke several records in the process.
Warren finished the season with 1,233 receiving yards, the most from a tight end in program history. He had 13 total touchdowns and broke Pat Freiermuth’s record of 22 career touchdowns. Warren’s ability to run, pass, catch, and block made him “the most complete tight end in the nation,” which Franklin referred to him as multiple times.
The senior will be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and will be greatly missed.
Penn State’s offensive line allowed 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Meanwhile, it paved the way for 3,237 total rushing yards. Penalties were an issue early on, but things got better as the season continued.
Considering the unit was without multiple starters from last season and had injury woes, things went pretty well. The depth was solid, and Anthony Donkoh in particular should anchor the group next season when he returns from injury.
Penn State finished with the No. 17-ranked rushing defense. The future first-round draft pick Carter had 68 tackles, 23.5 for loss, and 12 sacks and his counterpart Dani Dennis-Sutton had 42 tackles, 13 for loss, and 8.5 sacks. Meanwhile, Zane Durant emerged as a prominent force on the line with 42 tackles, 11 for loss, and three sacks, while veterans Coziah Izzard, Amin Vanover, and Dvon J-Thomas also had significant production. J-Thomas, along with backup defensive end Smith Vilbert were two team leaders in the locker room.
Kobe King had 97 tackles and three sacks at middle linebacker and sophomore Tony Rojas emerged as an impact player with 58 tackles, five quarterback hurries, four breakups, and three picks, including a pick-six against SMU in the first round of the playoffs.
Tom Allen opted for transfers A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber to be his starting cornerbacks. Harris, a sophomore transfer from Georgia, had 48 total tackles, six deflections, five breakups, and one interception against Illinois. Kimber, a redshirt senior who transferred from Florida, had 25 tackles and two deflections. Elliot Washington II also saw plenty of time and led the Nittany Lions with six breakups.
At safety is where Penn State’s secondary stood out. Reed emerged as arguably the defense’s best player, with a team-most 98 tackles, three interceptions, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a recovery. After KJ Winston suffered a season-ending injury against Bowling Green, Zakee Wheatley stepped up significantly. Wheatley ended the season with 96 tackles, four breakups, three interceptions, and a sack. He had a season-most 16 tackles, along with his sack and interception, against Notre Dame.
Riley Thompson averaged 42.93 yards per punt, which was 17th-best in college football. Gabe Nwosu averaged 62.5 yards per kickoff.
Zion Tracy had some rough moments at punt returner, but he ended up with 5.8 yards per return and a 14-yard attempt as his longest. Singleton was the kickoff returner, and he averaged 23.6 yards per return.
After replacing Sander Sahaydak against Illinois, Ryan Barker made 15-of-18 field goal attempts, including a game-winner against USC. The redshirt freshman proved to be someone Penn State can rely on in the future.
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Nolan is a senior journalism major from Silver Spring, Maryland. He’s an avid D.C sports and Liverpool fan who loves going to games in his free time. Nolan mainly writes about Penn State football, men’s hockey, and baseball. You can follow him on Twitter @nolan_wick or email him at [email protected].
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